UGI Utilities, Inc. Conducts Groundbreaking Ceremony

09 Nov 2017

UGI Utilities, Inc. (UGI) celebrated the official groundbreaking of its new corporate headquarters during a ceremony today in East Cocalico Township in northeastern Lancaster County.

Robert F. Beard, UGI CEO and President, pointed to the recent growth the Company has experienced as a key factor in moving forward with construction of the new facility. Through acquisitions and customer growth, UGI has nearly doubled in size in just over a decade and now serves 700,000 customers.

“Construction of our new headquarters building marks a significant milestone in the history of UGI Utilities,” Beard said. “We are pleased to locate our new headquarters building in Lancaster County, which is one of the fastest growing areas in our service territory. Our employees are dedicated to providing excellent service to our customers and the contemporary design of the new building will provide our employees with a positive working environment.”

Community leaders joining in the ceremony included State Senator Ryan Aument, 36th Senatorial District; Commissioner John Coleman, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission; Allen Dissinger, President of the Cocalico School District Board; Commissioner Dennis Stuckey, Chairman of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners; Douglas Mackley, Chairman of the East Cocalico Township Board of Supervisors; and Lisa Riggs, President of the Economic Development Company of Lancaster County.

UGI’s planned 93,000 square foot facility will be located on a 32-acre tract at the intersection of Route 222 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Construction is expected to last 12-15 months and will be complete by the end of 2018.

Beard thanked township and county officials, as well as the Cocalico School District, for working with UGI to bring the project to fruition.

“We look forward to a long and constructive relationship with all of our neighboring communities,” Beard said.

UGI’s new headquarters is designed to house approximately 350 employees. The site plans for the property all calls for a significant set-aside of acreage as greenspace and will include extensive walking trails.

Road access to the site will be from Pepperidge Drive. Plans call for a traffic light to be installed at the intersection of Colonel Howard Boulevard and Pepperidge Drive.

A combined heat and power plant (CHP) that uses natural gas to simultaneously generate electricity and useful thermal energy has been incorporated into the building plan. The CHP installation will provide a significant amount of the heating and cooling for the new building. CHP systems use thermal energy that would have otherwise gone to waste, thereby raising the total efficiency of the facility.

Bernardon is the architectural firm that designed the building, and BL Companies is serving as the engineering firm overseeing the site development. Warfel Construction Company, a Lancaster County firm, is the general contractor.

UGI Utilities is a natural gas and electric utility with headquarters in Reading, Pennsylvania. UGI serves 700,000 customers in 45 Pennsylvania counties and one county in Maryland. Customers and community members are invited to visit the UGI website at www.ugi.com; our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ugiutilities; or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ugi_utilities.

Photos:

An artist’s rendition of the new corporate headquarters for UGI Utilities, Inc. and a sketch of the site plan and walking trail.